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As we reach our third global igaming market as part of our Slot Trumps research, we are quickly building a detailed picture of player preferences. Our reports cover some of the world’s fastest growing regulated and newly regulated territories.

If Romania was divided into a mix of classic slots fans and bonus buyers, and Brazil consisted of “thrill seekers,” then Greece is the first market where we saw how regulation affected the behavior of online casino players .

Analysis of the Greek market

In 2022, the Greek government increased the maximum bet limit for all slot machines to €20. This reversed the forecast for 2020 of a maximum stake of €2. In addition, the jackpot value for games of chance and slot machines has been doubled from €70,000 to a cap of €140,000. The spin speed of the slot machines has also been increased from three seconds to two seconds.

Although conditions have improved for both players and the industry, player behavior is still dictated by regulatory requirements. This was also clear in our results.

For example, Greek players cannot access the “Buy” feature. The maximum bet cap affects the bonus features in the game as well as the average bet size of €0.79 per spin. This happens while only 20% of the 20 most played games have an average stake of more than €1.

In contrast, Greek players’ inability to access certain bonus features means that more traditional mechanics are thriving. A total of 60% of the top 20 games within the SlotMatrix The Greek network offers free spins. However, only 20% offer jackpots and 15% offer game-specific bonus features that give players access to bonus rounds.

Romania in comparison

Romanian players spend three times more per spin (€2.59) in their top 20 games than in Greece. There are very few regulations restricting the activity. In contrast, in Brazil, where gambling laws are still being developed, players also spend more on average per spin (€1.09).

However, these numbers hide the huge appetite for real money gaming in Greece. This is a country with a smaller adult population than Romania and Brazil. We see this by looking at the average number of sessions (6.2), stakes per player (459) and stakes per session (73.8) across SlotMatrix’s 20 aggregated games over a 90 day period.

For a country of its size, and despite restrictions preventing players from accessing features that other markets enjoy, it far punches above its weight. The latest official country data shows that gross gaming revenue (GGR) is 16% higher year-to-date. Compared to the same period last year, this amount increased to 619 million euros, with GGR increasing by 4% to 212 million euros in the third quarter.

Pettersen examines the optimal strategies operators can use to consistently engage Greek players in a changing regulatory market.

Slot trumps: Compliance comes first

Undoubtedly, in markets like Greece, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of the regulatory aspects and ensure that you comply with the regulations. Our CasinoEngine For example, the productivity platform allows operators to take full control of the game window on both desktop and mobile devices.

This enables real-time notifications in line with regulatory and safer gambling requirements. This includes reality checks, time limit calculations, betting limits for all operators, authenticity checks and tailored daily reports. We also have toolbars with specific buttons such as money transfer and the ability to switch between fun and real money modes.

Additionally, brands can add buttons at the top of the gameplay window for additional functionality. This includes quick deposit and cashier features, game information, gamification features and more.

This is also fully supported by accurate and real-time reports. For example, once a game is launched, CasinoEngine allows operators to retrieve wallet and detailed session data. This includes gambling notification interval (e.g. 5 minutes), session times (e.g. 10 minutes), session information (stakes/winnings) and user information (e.g. user balance, country of residence).

This ability to quickly design and deliver any tool or feature an operator needs to the Greek market is critical. We have been working with market leaders OPAP and others for several years to offer and improve gameplay that is highly engaging and personalized, but also safe and responsible. This also ensured that we generated record revenue for them.

Localized content is key

As we’ve discovered over 15 years of integrating, distributing and delivering our industry’s largest content library, a localized content strategy is critical. Not only does each market have its own regulatory requirements, but players also select and engage with games that they are most familiar with and that fit their cultural preferences.

Lobby management goes hand in hand with localization and is crucial in a market like Greece. This is especially true given that conditions and trends change faster than most. Integrating an aggregation offering supported by a flexible and highly efficient platform is a must. This is especially the case if you want to fully control and personalize your offer.

SlotMatrix allows brands to select the ideal content for each market. This is supported by a powerful productivity platform that offers flexibility and personalization. This means operators can target segments of players and immediately present them with the games they like most. Furthermore, it constantly adds new content and offers you these titles whenever they are relevant.

This then allows brands to manage what is presented to each player on the front end. Brands have the option to create as many lobby variants as they want; Tailor categories and play order to specific markets or player segments. For example, create web and mobile lobbies for games, live dealer tables and VIPs. and change the order of games to best suit their strategy.

Align your online casino strategy with the right fundamentals, tools and features and you will reap the rewards immediately in Greece.

A detailed breakdown of Greek player and betting behavior can be found on our website Current Slot Trumps player behavior report.

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